The Exploration of Exquisite Taste…While We Just Tryin' To Eat

Month: September 2014

Welcome to the inaugural post of Brewski of the week . This first post should actually be called my favorite brewski of all time. In the upcoming weeks I will feature craft beers and some throwbacks. For this post, I will feature my hands down go to brew for many years. The love affair actually started when I was young. When I was a youth, every now and then my parents would treat me to a punch. I always thought the punch was more like a milkshake thick, creamy and sweet. One of the main ingredients of the concoction was Borden Eagle Brand condensed milk ,a sprinkle of nutmeg and of course Guinness. Yes, I’ve been drinking Guinness since I was a young buck. I was about seven or eight years old when I had my first taste. I can remember at family bbq’s when I was like fourteen, my pops would just walk right pass me and not say a word if he saw me chugging on a Guinness.

Some might wonder, “Why is Guinness so popular with the Jamaican community?” Since the 1800’s Guinness has been brewed by Desnoes & Geddes in the heart of Kingston, Jamaica. Besides water and tea, I would say Guinness is probably the most consumed beverage I’ve had to date. Trust me, the taste of the barley in the Guiness is not for everybody. Fun fact, Guinness also has less calories then the standard beer. For anyone who has read this post, go to your local pub and order some of that black gold because Guinness “Is Good For You”.

I have always wondered where the black stereotype and the association of black folk and their love of fried chicken originated from. Growing up my parents usually baked chicken or made stewed chicken. If we did have fried chicken, it was prepared with 4C bread crumbs. Nothing fancy. From my understanding, the association is from old southern folklore. Chicken has always been the affordable protein. It was considered a ‘dirty’ food since it was eaten with our hands but with this mindset, I guess we are all dirty because fried chicken is now a staple throughout homes across America.

I have had my share of crispy bird over the years, but there have been a bunch of new spots popping up in NYC that are worth checking out. The first stop on our chicken run was Seoul Chicken in the Lower East Side. Seoul Chicken is the new joint from former Top Chef alum Chaz Brown. The vibrant location looks like the Miami Dolphins training facility. It houses a nicely decked out bar with a big projection screen TV. Jocks, this is where you want to be for your football fix. Beer, sports, and wings…your holy grail.

Now on to some wings…

Pinky Finger Up tried six of seven wings offered on the menu:

Szechuan Peppercorn & Sea Salt – this was a little on the salty side and had us looking forward to the more saucy wings.

Pinky Finger Up crew always love events that spreads awareness throughout. On Wednesday September 17, Just Foods celebrated their 7TH annual Let Us Eat Local spectacular at the Altman Building in Manhattan. Just Foods supports community-led efforts to increase access to locally grown food. All restaurants used foods from farms located all over New York state. Take a look at some of the offerings at the event.

This past weekend the Pinky Finger Up crew had the chance to attend the 3 day Taste Talk conference in our backyard in Brooklyn. Taste Talks explores the culinary cutting-edge for a food obsessed generation’ through discussions and panels. Some panels included “Online/Offline: The Future of Food Magazines” with the chic moderator Kerry Diamond and “Do Restaurant Reviews Matter?” to name a few.

The weekend’s highlighted event was the All-Star BBQ at the East River Park. At $40 a pop for a ticket, this was definitely a bang for your buck. We had all the elements for a perfect barbecue: sunshine, brewskis and hungry guests.

Some of the world’s top chefs gathered for this grill down and created some marvelous bites. At times we were treated to mashups like Marea’s & Ai Fiori’s Chef Michael White and bushy bearded wordsmith Action Bronson who blessed us with a thai spiced “Porchetta Kra Prow.” White is well known for hi Italian cuisine but this collaboration showed he had more than few Italian tricks up his sleeve. Pok Pok’s Andy Ricker spiced up some “Boar Collar Meat” with a garlic, coriander root and black pepper soy sugar glaze, straight goodness! Ramen wizard Ivan Ramen showed me some love and won my heart over with his “Grilled Duck Heart” served with a summer corn XO sauce. This was my very first taste of ANY heart and I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical at first, but it was straight pimpin’. Right down a literal line, we were treated to some good eats. Check out some the photos from the BBQ:

I have been attending the biggest food festivals and tastings all around the city the past couple of years. Here’s a blast from the past. Some of my favorite bites from the 2013 New York Rising Stars Event last year hosted by StarChefs.com at The Liberty Theater.